Dorian finally started to pull away from the Bahamas on Tuesday and begin to make its way up the east coast of Florida.
It had weakened to a Category 2 hurricane but was still packing winds around 110 mph. Residents along the coast were encouraged to monitor alerts and stay informed about the potential for high winds and life-threatening storm surges.
At 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dorian was about 125 miles east of Vero Beach and 125 miles east/southeast of Cape Canaveral. It’s expected to move up the coast and clear the Central Florida area by sometime Wednesday afternoon.
Residents in Georgia and the Carolinas continued to ramp up preparations as Dorian headed their way. South Carolina ordered mandatory evacuations along the state’s coastline and officials in North Carolina implored tourists on the Outer Bank Islands to leave soon because potential storm surges could block the only highway out of the area.
Meanwhile, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office reported receiving multiple calls from residents who are confused about a curfew. Apparently, the confusion stems from a curfew that was put in place in Marion County, S.C., in anticipation of Dorian’s arrival this week.
Marion County schools will remain closed this week, as some of the facilities were opened as shelters. And the College of Central Florida will not hold classes on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
The City of Ocala reported that sanitation collections times were not affected by Dorian. But because of the Labor Day holiday this past Monday, pickup regularly scheduled for Monday, Sept. 2 through Thursday, Sept. 5, will experience a one-day delay, meaning all collections will be completed by Friday, Sept. 6.
Waste Pro recycling collection regularly scheduled for Monday through Thursday also is taking place through Friday. For more information, contact the City of Ocala Residential Sanitation Division at (352) 351-6697.